It seems that everyone has some advice for you as you set off on the big university journey.

Parents think they still know best, and one of the best advice columns Portergate has come across over the years, still has to be from the Mumsnet website. www.mumsnet.com.

According the site, these were lessons “learned the hard way” by Mumsnetters during their own uni days.

They ranged from “be careful which clubs you join” to “know your limits” – or to put it another way: “When you feel sick, stop drinking”.

Other great tips include “read the instructions” – important when doing your washing and “adjust your expectations”, which is a sound piece of advice when you head off to the shops to do your food shopping for the week.

Another piece of sound advice, which Portergate continually passes on to students embarking on their university career, also makes the list. “Stick to your budget”.

And it comes as no surprise that the Mumsnet top 10 includes an instruction to “listen to your parents.”

The article quotes one of its mums explaining: “Before I headed off to uni my dad said, very seriously, ‘Well… don’t do anything stupid.’ It pretty much covers it all!” Quite!

Balancing your budget and making the pennies count is another theme for would-be advisors, with a host of tips to be found on the internet.

We checked this one out from the Independent website and found some sound advice to share:

As all students will find out – every penny counts, even when it comes to buying a round of drinks in the Student Union bar. Count those pennies now and at least you’ll avoid suffering a financial hangover.